In a significant success for the rights of blind students, the Iowa Supreme Court voted in favor of a blind student plaintiff and ordered Palmer Chiropractic College to provide accommodations which allow disabled students to finish their degrees (Nelson, 2014). Palmer Chiropractic College was founded in 1897 and is considered the birthplace of the field of chiropractic

(Foley, 2014). The court refused to accept the college’s argument that “eyesight is a requirement for the profession, which involves adjusting patients’ spines to treat pain” (Foley, 2014). Palmer Chiropractic College argued that chiropractors need to read X-rays in order to deliver effective and safe adjustments and that it was not feasible for blind students to rely on sighted assistants.

Speaking on behalf of the majority, Justice Daryl Hecht argued that the college discriminated when it did not allow Aaron Cannon to complete his degree with help from a sighted reader. He said that Palmer has had blind graduates in the past and that 20% or more of chiropractors’ offices do not provide medical imaging. The dissenting opinion was delivered by Justice Thomas Waterman, who expressed that political correctness was being elevated over common sense in the ruling (Nelson, 2014 ).

Palmer Chiropractic College said it would continue making “reasonable academic accommodations” for disabled students. The president of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners said in a statement: “We share the concerns expressed in the dissenting opinion regarding the potential adverse effects the ruling may have on health and public safety” (Foley, 2014). The decision reinstates the ruling of the Davenport Civil Rights Commission ordering Palmer Chiropractic College to readmit Cannon with the use of a sighted assistant and pay him $100,000 in damages and legal fees. Palmer Chiropractic College appealed the decision, but the appeal was unsuccessful

(Foley, 2014).

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree or disagree with the decision of the Davenport Civil Rights Commission? Why?

2. Do you think that chiropractors must have good vision in order to do their work?

3. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, organizations are required to provide reasonable accommodations that do not cause them an undue hardship. Does it seem like providing a sighted assistant to read X-rays meets the definition of a reasonable accommodation for Palmer Chiropractic College?